GETHSEMANE Site-Specific Dance Work is Coming to Redeemer Presbyterian Church
Two performances will take place on September 5.
Lindsey Hanson, Associate Professor of Dance at Hope College and director of Lindsey Hanson Collective, will present the New York premiere of her Gethsemane, a site-specific dance work at Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Two performances, September 5 at 2 PM & 7 PM. The 7 PM performance will be followed by a reception with the cast and creative team.
The 22 New York-based cast members include dancers who have appeared with the Mark Morris Dance Group, Twyla Tharp Dance, Graham 2, the Metropolitan Opera, Sokolow Theatre/Dance, Third Rail Projects, DanceAction, and the Connecticut Ballet. The dance is performed to an original score by Rev. Jonathan Gabhart.
Gethsemane, designed specifically for Redeemer Presbyterian Church, has been funded through a $250,000 Creative Arts Collective grant and is the latest chapter of The Sanctuary Project, a multi-year series exploring the intersection of dance, architecture, theology, and sacred space. The choreography unfolds throughout the sanctuary, weaving in and among the pews and balcony while the audience is seated on the stage, creating an intimate experience that reimagines the view's perspective of the space. Gethsemane builds on Hanson's previous works: Sanctuary (2021) and Selah (2024, in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame). Sanctuary's film adaptation went on to receive numerous official selections and awards at national and international film festivals.
Gethsemane draws inspiration from the ancient Olive Grove of the same name, using its landscape and theological symbolism as a creative lens through which to engage the architecture of Redeemer West Side. Rather than illustrating a specific narrative, the work explores themes of intense pressure, surrender, and transformation as the dancers move through all corners of the sanctuary space.
.jpg?format=auto&width=365)
